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No'Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1. J. Gr. CRATE & J. F. MORELL.

GAR STARTER.

, gel/canted Sept. 11, 1883.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets -Sheet 2.

J. G. CRATE at 'J. F. MORELL.

GAR STARTER.

No. 284,948. Patented Sept. 11, 18.83.

t i t 3 m V5 Ema 40.

UNTTED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

JOSEPH e. CRATE, or woonsrown, AND JAMES F. MORELL, or CAMDEN, N; J.

CAR-STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,948, dated September 11, 1883.

I Application filed May 16, 1883., (No model.)

T0 (0% whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrn G. CRATE and JADIES F. MoRELL, citizens of the United States, residing at Woodstown and Camden, in the counties of Salem and Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Starters, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to that class of devices which are employed to arrest the motion of streetcars, and apply the power thus expended to start or assist in starting the car.

The aim of theinvention is to provide a simple and reliable mechanism for the purpose named, and to adapt the same for instan- "taneous adjustment, so as to operate the same tion of the same on the line a; x.

on a car traveling in both directions.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a bottom plan View of a car-frame provided with our improvement. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal central see- Fig. 3 represents a vertical section on the line 3 3 Referring to the drawings, Arepresents the frame of the car, and B the two horizontal axles, mounted in fixed bearings beneath opposite ends of the frame, and provided with the wheels 0., secured rigidly to their ends. The foregoing parts are of ordinary construction and arrangement. 7

In applying our improvement we secure to the axle B at one end of the car, at a suitable distance apart, two beveled-gear wheels, D and D, having the teeth upon their inner faces. Len gthwise beneath the car, preferably at or near the center,we mounta shaft, E, extending from end to end of the frame, and sustained at its center in a vertically-pivoted yoke,

F, and at its two ends in the lower extremities of upright hand-levers G, pivoted to the ends of the frame and extending upward within reach of the attendant up on the platform. The yoke F serves as a central support for the shaft, and by reason of its vertical pivots it is free to rock in ahorizontal direction, thus permit ting the operator to move the ends of the shaft laterally by means of thehand-levers, the two ends swinging, of course,in opposite directions.

To one end of the shaft E we secure rigidly a beveled pinion, H, adapted to engage with one or the other of the wheels D D, according as the shaft is moved to the right or left. We also secure to the shaft E, near its center, a powerful coiled spring, I, one end of which is securedto the shaft, while the opposite end is secured to the yoke F or to the car-frame. If,while the car is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the operator by means of either of the hand-levers moves the shaft E in such manner as to throw the pinion H into an engagement with the wheel D, motion will be communicated from the carwheel, through the wheel D, to the pinion H, the effect of which will be to rotate the shaft E and wind up the spring I, the resistance of the spring serving to gradually arrest the motion of the car, while the momentum of the car, on the other hand, will place the spring T under a high degree of tension. If, now, while the spring is thus under tension, the operator moves the lever so as to shift the shaft in the opposite direction, the pinion H will be dis-.

engaged from the wheel D and engage with the wheel D,whereupon the energy of the spring exerted through the intermediate parts upon the wheel D will tend to turn the car-axle and wheels in the forward direction, thereby starting or assisting to start the car.

In order to secure the proper working of the apparatus, it is necessary that means shall be provided for maintaining the spring under tension and prevent the rotation of its shaft during the time that the pinion H is being shifted from the wheel D to the wheel D. For this purpose we provide each end of the shaft E with a ratchet-wheel, J, and provide each of the hand-levers G with a pawl, K, to engage in said ratchet-wheel, the pawl thus applied serving,while in engagement, to hold the shaft against a backward rotation, and thus keep the spring under tension. Each pawl is acted upon by a spring, L, to cause its engagement, and is combined with a thumb-lever, M, pivoted to the hand-lever and extended upward, as shown, so that the attendant byoperating this secondary lever M may disengage the pawl from the ratchet -wheel to permit the spring to turn the shaft when the starting of the car is to be effected. Owing to the fact that the pawl is pivoted upon the hand-lever, which also carries the ratchet-wheel shaft, it will be seen that the lateral movement of the shaft in no manner affects the engagement of the pawl, which moves with the lever and holds the shaft against rotation during the time that it is being moved to reverse the gear.

In order that the pawl and ratchet at one end of the car may not interfere with the operation of that at the other, we provide each hand-lever with a link, 0, or equivalent device, to engage with the thumbdever and hold its pawl out of action.

For the purpose of holding the pinion H in engagement with one or the other of the wheels D D, or in an intermediate position, as may be required, we provide a locking device for each of the hand-levers G, to hold the same in the different posit-ions required. This looking device may be of any suitable character; but it ispreferred to employ the particular form of device represented in the drawings, consisting simply of an angular foot-lever, P, mounted upon the frame and provided at its upper end with a stud or projection to enter notches Q in the hand-lever. Each lever is provided with three of these notches-one to hold the pinion in engagement with the wheel D, another to hold it in engagement with the wheel D, and the third to hold it in an inter mediate position, the last -named being the .position in which it stands during the time that the car is in motion. For the purpose of holding either of these locking-clogs out of action at will,we provide at each end of the car a pivoted button, R, to engage over the lower end of the dog, as shown. WVhen the attendant is located at one end of .the car, the devices for locking the hand-lever at the opposite end,

' as well as the pawl for locking the corresponding ratchet-wheel, are thrown out of action.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: The car being in motion and the pinion H in its intermediate position, as represented in Fig. l, and it being desired to arrest the motion of the car, the attendant, located at either end of the car, throws the hand-lever to the right or the left, according to the direction in which the car is moving, so as to cause the gearing to wind the spring, .the tension of which is maintained by the pawl. 'The parts remain in this position until the car is to be started again, when the attendant moves the hand-lever so as to reverse the connection of the gearing, and thereby connect the spring in such manner that its force will be expended to urge the car forward. He next operates the finger-lever, thereby lifting the pawl and permitting the force of the spring to be plied to the gearing.

It will be observed that our arrangement of gearing may be employed with equal facility whether the car be moved in one direction or in the other, that the full force of the spring is utilized, and that the parts operate without sudden strain or shock.

"While we have described the shaft E as extending through the car from end to end, in order that the starting device may operate from either end of the carat will, it is manifest that on those cars which run always in the same direction, or with the same end forward, the shaft maybe terminated at the center, and the hand-lever and connections at the rear end omitted.

The present invention is restricted to those matters and things which are hereinafter claimed, and as to all matters which may be described or shown, but which are not claimed, the right is reserved to make the same the subject of a separate application.

- Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. The car-axle having two gear-wheels secured rigidly thereto, in combination with the .longitudinal shaft,.the spring, the gear-wheel attached to said shaft between the wheels upon the axle ,and adapted for engagement with-said wheels alternately, and a manual lever for effecting the lateral motion of the shaft, substantially as described, whereby the momentum of the car is applied to wind the spring, and the power of the spring in turn appliedto propel the ear.

2.111 combination with the car-axle, the longitudinal shaft extending to the two ends of the ear and movable laterally around a central point in its length, the reversible gear to connect the shaft and axle, the spring, and independent manual devices at the two ends 'of the car ,to move the shaft, whereby the winding and driving devices may be actuated from either end of the car at will.

3. The car-axle, the gear-wheel secured rigidly thereon, the longitudinal shaft'mova ble in a horizontal direction, the gear-wheel and spring secured upon said shaft, the upright manual lever to sustain and move the shaft, the devices attached to said'lever for the purpose of preventing the rotation of the shaft, and mechanism, substantially as described, for locking said hand-lever in different positions, whereby the gear may be adjusted and maintained in an inoperative position, or in position to wind the spring, or in position to start the car.

4. In combination with the longitudinal laterally-movable shaft and the gear for connecting the same with the car-axle, the vertically, pivoted supportingyoke, and the springsecured-at one end to the shaft and at the opposite end to said yoke.

5. In combination with the car-axle and its gears, the longitudinal laterally-movable shaft and its gear-wheel, a spring connected with said shaft, and two independent hand-levers mounted at opposite ends of. said shaft for the purpose of moving the same laterally, each hand-lever provided with a device to lock the shaft against rotation, and combined with a locking-dog, substantially as described, adapted to hold the lever in either of the three positions named.

6. The combination, in a car, of the longitudinal spring-actuated shaft providedwith the gear-wheeland ratchet-wheels, the axle provided with gear-wheels, the two hand-levers asmeas o 3 effecting a lateral movement of the shaft, the dog pivoted upon the car to lock the lever in 15 different positions, and the device for securing said dog in an inoperative position.

JOSEPH G CRATE. JAMES F. MORELL.

Witnesses as to Joseph G. Crate:

E. B. HUMPHREYS, E. S. Foee.

Witnesses as to James F. Morell:

DANIEL PIERSON, WV. NoRRIs. 

